Routine horse grooming is an essential part of overall equine health. Wild horses groom each other and rub against trees or grass, but domesticated horses rely on us for this care.1 Not only will grooming make their coat look lustrous, but it can also help prevent discomfort, skin irritation, and other health issues.
When done right, grooming doesn’t need to be stressful for you or your horse. It can just be another part of your daily horse care routine you both look forward to, leaving horses happy, healthy, and ready to ride. Read on to discover the ins and outs of horse grooming.
Why Does Grooming Improve Horse Coats?
Just like in humans, grooming practices that promote circulation have many benefits. Brushing, scratching, and washing a horse helps increase blood flow to the skin, which stimulates the production of natural oils. This is how grooming your horse helps with coat health – it causes a horse’s hair to become shiny and silky smooth.1
With regular grooming, a horse produces proper levels of these natural oils all over their body, which gives a horse’s coat a healthy sheen. Plus, soft, hydrated skin can even minimize the risk of issues like horse rashes, infections, and abscesses.1
How Often Should Horses Be Groomed?
There is no hard and fast rule—the short answer is every day, but the long answer is that it depends on what you mean by “grooming.” Horses require lots of different care, and their daily activities will determine the type and frequency of grooming they need.
Daily Grooming
Everyday grooming helps promote healthy skin and a shiny coat. This involves simple yet necessary care that you can easily incorporate into a daily schedule using a dedicated horse grooming kit. It is mainly topical, dealing with dry dirt, shedding, and debris.
If you ride every day, your horse should also be groomed every day with a horse grooming brush. This ensures that dirt and sweat are not getting stuck under the saddle and causing irritation on your horse’s skin. Regular de-shedding using horse brushes helps gradually remove excess hair. Similarly, daily hoof picking can help prevent extreme buildup.
In addition to keeping your horse looking great, there are many benefits to daily grooming1:
- Bonding – An everyday routine helps create a trusting relationship between you and your horse.
- Consistency – A healthy coat is the product of a regular grooming schedule over a long period.
- Noticing abnormalities – Daily grooming will allow you to more quickly spot anything out of the ordinary, such as wounds, rashes, lumps, or illness.
If you don’t ride your horse every day, these practices can be modified to a few times a week instead.
Deep Cleaning
This type of grooming is not necessary on a day-to-day basis, but rather when your horse needs a full-body bath. For instance, if your horse goes rolling around in the mud or is competing in a show, it’s time for a deep clean. But in the off-season, they may not need a bath at all.
Keep in mind that you should not vigorously scrub wet mud off a horse, as this can cause skin irritation like dermatitis. Instead, wait for the mud to dry and then give your horse a good rinse.1 Always make sure to use horse-safe products, such as the Vetericyn FoamCare® equine shampoo.
Routine Grooming Techniques
On the days you’re not giving your horse a full wet bath, there are many essential ways to promote a healthy coat. Let’s break down these grooming processes.
Currying
The first step is to use a horse grooming tool like a curry comb to loosen dirt, dead skin, and debris that have become stuck in a horse’s fur. In order to brush them away, use a curry in a circular motion all over the body, except on the face.
Brushing
Once debris has been loosened up by the curry, remove it with a stiff bristle brush. Unlike the circular currying motion, now you’ll brush following the natural grain of the coat. Using the different horse brushes, make sure to get hard-to-reach spots like their belly, legs, tailbone, and behind the ears.
Follow this step with a second round of brushing, this time with a soft-bristle brush. A soft brush removes any final dirt or dust, plus makes the coat shinier by bringing oils to the surface. You should never use anything pointy near the eyes or mouth, so make sure to brush the face only with soft bristles.2
Detangling
Use a comb or horse grooming brush to detangle the hair in your horse’s mane and tail. Work through pesky knots with your fingers before combing through the hair. Don’t tug or pull—if you feel resistance, stop and carefully work through the snag with your hands. It’s better to go slow and steady rather than finding yourself with a fistful of mane hair.
Hoof Care
It is crucial to pick your horse’s hooves during every grooming session. Horses spend practically all day on their feet, and anything from soil to rocks can lodge themselves in your horse’s hooves. This can be uncomfortable for your horse and increase their risk of infection, whether they are shod or not.
Start horse hoof cleaning by standing to the side of the horse (never behind!) and lifting his foot. If your horse resists, try gently squeezing the tendons in their ankle area, which makes them lose balance and raise their foot in response.
Now it’s time to grab your hoof pick and get to work. Scrape out all the gunk that has collected in the hoof, moving from heel to toe.1 Make sure to always stay to the side, as your horse could become spooked at any moment, and even small horse kicks to the head are very painful.
Supplementary wellness products also help promote hoof strength and repair. Vetericyn Hoof Care ointment and Hoof Soak solution help remove harmful pathogens and microorganisms that can cause hoof disease, deterioration, or abscesses.
Spot Cleans
For some areas, neither a brush nor pick is the right option. For instance, when cleaning a horse’s face, opt for a damp cloth or sponge instead.
With a moist cloth in hand, make sure to check and clean all the following areas1:
- Eyes
- Ears
- Nostrils
- Anus
- Teats
- Vulva
- Sheath
Take extra care with these sensitive areas, as they are often prone to swelling and infection.
Essential Grooming Tools
Now that you know the foundations of horse grooming, it’s time to assemble a horse grooming kit. You should always regularly clean these items and have them on hand.
Your complete horse grooming tool kit includes:
- Curry
- Grooming Brushes (soft brush, tail brush, and hard body brush)
- Deshedding tool
- Hoof pick
- Sponges
- Equine shampoo
- Fly spray
- Large towels
Store all your grooming supplies in a safe, clean, and secure place. Leaving grooming tools lying outside or in the open air can lead to bacterial growth, rust, or other damage.
Grooming by Season
Adjust your horse grooming routine based on the season, as hot and cold weather bring different sets of requirements, just like for people. For instance, have you ever noticed your hands get dry and cracked in the winter, but not in the summer?
Let’s break down some key seasonal differences.
Summer Grooming
Animals shed in the summer to lose their extra layer of fur and keep cool in the heat. You can help manage summer shedding by brushing your horse every day with special de-shedding tools and blades. The warmer months are also a great time for a bath, as your horse is able to air-dry in the sun.
Winter Grooming
It depends on your lifestyle, but winter is usually the off-season for your horses. Since riding typically happens less often in winter, their grooming schedule may be less demanding. This does not mean that you can stop grooming your horses in the winter—rather, that frequency might decrease.
If you bathe your horse in the winter, make sure to towel them down and cover them in a blanket before letting them back into the field.
Cautionary Advice: What to Avoid
So far we’ve focused on the must-dos of horse grooming, but it’s also useful to review what not to do. These tips will keep you and your beloved horses safe and healthy.
When grooming a horse, do not:
- Make sudden, jerky movements – Horses can become scared and kick back as a reflex, which may harm you, the horse, or both.
- Rush – A haphazard job only creates more work for you next time. Thorough grooming always pays off in the long run, for both you and your horse.
- Be rough – Too much pressure can be painful. A horse will whimper or cry out if your grooming style is getting a bit too forceful.
- Over-bathe – Too much washing strips a coat of its natural oils and dries out the skin, so be sure to find the harmonious balance to bathing your horse.
Horse grooming is more than aesthetics—it is a commitment to your horse’s health, happiness, and stamina.
Promote Horse Health with Vetericyn
At Vetericyn, we believe in high-quality, non-toxic wellness products that love your animals as much as you do. From shampoos to liniments, our equine care line is designed to keep your horse looking and feeling their best.
Pick up Vetericyn supplies at your local animal product store, or order them online from major retailers like Amazon and Tractor Supply.
Reviewed by Solomon Benarroch, Veterinarian
Solomon Benarroch DVM has been a practicing veterinarian for over 30 years. His primary focus has been in equine soundness and performance sports medicine. Originally from Winnipeg, Canada he attended college at the Western College of Veterinarian Medicine. And completed an internship at the University of Minnesota. He is the father of three kids and when he isn’t working (which is rare), he enjoys traveling, cooking, and spending time with friends and family.
Sources:
- National Ag Safety Database. Grooming Horses Safely. https://nasdonline.org/227/d000026/grooming-horses-safely.html
- American Quarter Horse Association. Horse Grooming Basics. https://www.aqha.com/-/horse-grooming-basics
